Sheng Xuanhuai was a representative figure of the "Foreign Affairs Movement" in the late Qing Dynasty, known as the "Father of Chinese Industry" and "The Father of Chinese Businessmen", and was also recognized as the "richest man in the Republic of China".
After Sheng Xuanhuai's death, he left more than 11.6 million silver dollars, but he had eight sons and eight daughters, and many children, because the family was rich, the sons were mostly stupid children, spending money like soil, and soon went bankrupt, and in their later years they were poor, but the daughters who were considered unqualified to divide the family property were self-reliant, cautious and sensible, and much smoother than the lives of their brothers.
Love yi
Among Sheng Xuanhuai's daughters, the most famous is "Miss Sheng Qi" Sheng Aiyi, although she was a boudoir lady at the end of the Qing Dynasty, she taught herself Chinese and English, not only was she gentle and firm in heart, but also embarked on a new female path, advocating equal rights for men and women, winning the lawsuit known as the "first case of feminism in the Republic of China", enjoying the same property inheritance rights as her brothers, and later founding the famous Paramount Hotel Ballroom on Shanghai Beach.
However, the most enjoyable thing about Sheng Aiyi is her love affair with Song Ziwen.
Song Ziwen is an American doctor, grew up in a missionary family, the personality is both enthusiastic and free and spontaneous, he was bitterly in love when he was young, but he was separated by Sheng's mother.
Song Ziwen
Sheng Aiyi waited for him silently in Shanghai for 15 years, until the age of 32, he still stayed in the boudoir, but when Song Ziwen returned to Shanghai again, he already had a younger and more beautiful wife by his side, and Sheng Aiyi married his cousin after a serious illness, and the two were cut off from then on.
Song Ziwen, who was in love with the old love, later named his three daughters Song Qiongyi, Song Manyi and Song Ruiyi to commemorate that miserable youth love, but Sheng Aiyi was silent from beginning to end, and never looked back on the past again in his life.
Under her calm as water appearance, there are actually deep wounds buried in her heart.
In Sheng Aiyi's view, Song Ziwen's nostalgia is a memory, a display, a show off, but it is definitely not love, the life she longs to live, the sky is long, and finally it will be a bubble, no matter how much nostalgia and concern, it is only the self-salvation of the negative person.
1. When I first met, he was the English secretary of her fourth brother, and wrote down in his diary that his first impression of her was "fairy under the mortal"
Sheng Aiyi was born in 1900, her biological mother Zhuang Dehua was sheng Xuanhuai's second wife, and also the most important lady in charge of his two wives and concubines, Lady Zhuang had a son and a daughter, and the son was Sheng Enyi, a famous son in Shanghai, known as Sheng Laosi, and her daughter was Miss Sheng Qi.
Because she is the only daughter of Mrs. Zhuang, Sheng Aiyi is particularly favored in the family and has a detached status, and at a young age, she helped her mother take care of household affairs, take charge of finances, and maneuver in the business field.
Mrs. Chuang
In 1917, Song Ziwen, who had just graduated from Columbia University with a doctorate, was hired as the English secretary of Sheng Enyi, the general manager of Hanyeping Company.
Sheng Lao Si is a gentleman, there are also playboys general habits, love to smoke opium, gambling, concubines, often play cards all night, sleep until noon or even get up in the afternoon during the day, and Song Ziwen is punctual and dedicated, every morning to come to the Sheng family, in the living room waiting for the general manager to get up, waiting for half a day, so it is familiar with Mrs. Zhuang and Sheng Enyi.
Sheng family mansion
In the diary of Song Ziwen, which was published in 2002, Song Ziwen wrote: "The first time I saw her, I saw a fairy under the mortal!" ”
Song Ziwen is six years older than Sheng Aiyi, he is talented, fluent in English, talking extraordinary, often talking with Sheng Aiyi about overseas experiences, so that Sheng Aiyi opened his eyes and longed for it, the enthusiastic Song Ziwen volunteered to be Sheng Aiyi's English teacher, and in the day and night, the two gradually developed feelings.
2. Mrs. Zhuang quietly opened a marriage between her daughter and Song Ziwen
Lady Zhuang was Sheng Xuanhuai's wife of the continuation of the string, for people with long sleeves and good dancing, after Sheng Xuanhuai's death, she took sole control of the housekeeper power, and was very cautious about the marriage of her children.
She was the daughter-in-law of Sheng Enyi, the daughter of Sun Baoqi, the former governor of Shandong, yuan shikai's chief of foreign affairs, and the premier of the Beiyang government.
And Sheng Aiyi is soft on the outside and firm in heart, and is the only daughter of Lady Zhuang, who has long hopes for her and hopes that she will marry the children of a famous family.
Song Ziwen and his sisters
But Song Ziwen's father, Song Jiashu, was only a missionary who had just made a fortune in business, "used to play the organ in the church", and at this time there was no real hairline, his mother Ni Guizhen had been an adoptive mother in the Sheng family (similar to the dual identity of a tutor and a nanny), and Song Ziwen's second brother-in-law, Sun Yat-sen, although he had been the president of the Republic of China, could have long been squeezed out of the wilderness by warlords, but he was an "empty revolutionary".
In Madame Zhuang's eyes, whether it is financial strength or status, the Song family is very incompatible with the richest family in the Republic of China, who was once a red-top merchant in the late Qing Dynasty.
Therefore, Mrs. Zhuang was bent on breaking up the wrong young man, and she instructed her son to transfer Song Ziwen to Wuhan as the chief of the accounting department of the iron factory, and to let Song Ziwen leave her daughter far away.
Song Ziwen was very angry, and within a few days of going to Wuhan, he handed in his resignation, returned to Shanghai, and founded the Dazhou Industrial Company and the Shenzhou Trust Company on his own, engaged in financial business.
At the same time, he did not give up his feelings for Sheng Aiyi, he went to sheng's house several times to ask to see Miss Shengqi, and after being coldly rejected, he stopped Sheng Aiyi's car when she went to the street, asking her to give her a clear answer.
The first on the right is Sheng Aiyi
Sheng Aiyi, who grew up in the family of the official eunuch at the end of the Qing Dynasty, was still a boudoir lady who emphasized the etiquette and etiquette in her bones, she did not dare to respond boldly to Song Ziwen's pursuit like a new woman, and she did not dare to fight for her marriage and family break, but Song Ziwen's deep affection also made her deeply remembered, until 1923, the 23-year-old Sheng Aiyi still repeatedly refused the marriage arranged by her mother and maintained close contact with Song Ziwen.
In the heart of sheng ai, who is gentle and quiet, she can only use this way to express her true feelings for Song Ziwen.
3, refuse to elope, but promise to "wait for you to come back":
In February 1923, Soong Ching-ling called Song Ziwen from Guangzhou, asking him to go south to join Sun Yat-sen's Guangzhou government.
At this time, Song Ziwen chased Sheng Aiyi for six years without results, he was tired, he agreed to the invitation of the second sister, but before going south, he still had a glimmer of hope for this relationship, chased to the Qiantang River in Hangzhou overnight, found Sheng Aiyi who was watching the tide there, and showed her the ticket in his hand, saying that he had purchased a train ticket to Guangzhou for Sheng Aiyi, hoping that she could walk with him.
Sheng Aiyi was shocked and eloped without a medium, which was a move she could not do anyway, in front of her sister Miss Shengba, she refused the invitation of Song Ziwen's peers, but when she saw that her sweetheart was going to a territory full of war and strife, she felt uneasy, and gave all the gold leaves she was carrying with her to Song Ziwen, who was empty, and said: "Or you go by yourself, I will wait for you to come back." ”
Song Ziwen was disappointed and replied politely, "I really thank you, even if you lend me this." ”
In fact, in the mouth of this gentle and elegant Miss Shengqi, "I am waiting for you" is already a firm vow she has made for love, and since she has made a covenant, she will definitely wait for him.
In the diary of the day, Song Ziwen called this experience "lost love", the end of his six years of bitter love, and the farewell to Sheng Aiyi.
4. The new person is better than the old person, and 15 years of suffering are empty
After Song Ziwen went south to Guangzhou, after several years of twists and turns, he finally took up an important position, and in December 1926, he became a standing committee member of the Kuomintang Central Committee and minister of finance, participating in decision-making.
In the summer of 1927, the 33-year-old Song Ziwen traveled to Lushan to build a summer villa for his mother, and through the people of the Lushan Administration Bureau, he met Zhang Mouzhi, the owner of the local construction factory.
At the family banquet of the Zhang family at No. 3 Rizhao Peak, he met Zhang Leyi, the daughter of Zhang Mouzhi and a graduate of Jinling University in Nanjing.
Zhang Leyi
Zhang Leyi is only 20 years old, lively and beautiful, fashionable, good at talking, fluent in English, she called the elderLy Song Ziwen "Uncle", seeing him as an elder.
And Song Ziwen fell in love with Zhang Leyi at first sight, and he wrote in his diary that day: "She seems to be my long-awaited couple, her expression makes me feel fresh and impulsive, acquaintance and hate late, better than Miss Sheng Qi." ”
Until this time, he was still taking Sheng Aiyi as a comparison standard for lovers.
Compared with Juan Xiu's elegant, excellent calligraphy, moody and angry, and with the style of everyone in the late Qing Dynasty, Zhang Leyi is the real new woman of the times, she is fluent in English, proficient in new learning, frank and true, full of self-confidence and frank charm, Song Ziwen believes that this is his long-awaited life partner, and there is a sense of acquaintance and hatred.
Song Ziwen, who was planning to go down the mountain, because Zhang Leyi stayed down again, euphemistically explained his past love situation, saying that he had a relationship with Sheng Aiyi a few years ago, and was single so far after the loss of love, and also asked Zhang Leyi to be a guide in Lushan for himself.
This afternoon, Zhang Leyi accompanied Song Ziwen on a tour of Lushan's famous places: Dalin Temple, Xianren Cave, Datianchi and other places, and Song Ziwen later recorded: "We talk and communicate during the stroll, she always smiles, and sometimes she can say it hard, which makes me feel like reading a rich Lushan tour guide book." In my heart, I left a deep and beautiful impression. At this time, under the trees in front of the flowers, the mountain paths and rivers have left our footprints of viewing and playing, leaving us with harmonious laughter. ”
Song Ziwen felt that compared with the last relationship, the Zhang family respected their personality more than the Sheng family, Zhang Leyi was more devoted to himself and more sincere than Sheng Aiyi, and their relationship was so pleasant and harmonious.
Song Ziwen and Zhang Leyi
On the lover's road in Lushan, he formally confessed to Zhang Leyi, and also detailed to her the painful past between himself and Miss Shengqi: "Miss Seven's mother, Lady Zhuang, obstructed her, Miss Seven did not dare to disobey her mother's orders, nor did she want to give up her love affair with me. In February 1923, I was ordered to go to Guangzhou to organize the central bank, and successively held various other positions. With the pain of falling out of love with Miss Sheng Qi, she has not been married... Now, I only love you. ”
Zhang Leyi looked at the arrogant Minister of Finance of the Nationalist Government in front of him, listened to his heartfelt words, and nodded his head in agreement with his marriage proposal.
In the fall of 1928, the two were married.
5, a hopeless wait, left a thousand holes in her heart
In September 1927, Mrs. Zhuang died, and due to the profligacy of her children and grandchildren, the Sheng family also fell into ruin. At this time, the Song family, which had been despised by the Sheng family, had a soaring status and became one of the four major families, and Song Ziwen was the "god of wealth" of the National Government.
Zuo Yisheng loved Yi
Although the emotional barrier between Sheng Aiyi and Song Ziwen has long ceased to exist, Song Ziwen's heart has already lived in someone else, Song Ziwen, who has been alone for many years, is unwilling to wait any longer, and the 34-year-old finance minister needs a warm home, a beautiful wife who can socialize with high-ranking officials and celebrities, and the experience of being assassinated many times has made him suddenly realize that life is short.
In 1928, after learning the news of Song Ziwen's marriage, Sheng Aiyi, who had just won the property dispute, fell seriously ill, and after recovering from the illness, she agreed to be engaged to Lady Zhuang's nephew Zhuang Zhujiu.
In 1932, Sheng Aiyi, who had become a rare elderly leftover woman on the beach, married her cousin, and after marriage, she gave birth to a son Zhuang Yuanduan and a daughter Zhuang Yuanzhen, "Duan" and "Zhen", which is Sheng Aiyi's life creed and love belief. The "waiting for you" she promised Song Ziwen was her heartfelt promise, but the years diluted his feelings and destroyed their fate.
Song Ziwen, who returned to Shanghai, always had an unforgettable affection for Sheng Aiyi, and named his three daughters born to him and Zhang Leyi song Qiongyi, Song Manyi and Song Ruiyi. Yi is the affectionate name for Sheng Aiyi in Song Ziwen's diary.
Song Ziwen and his wife and daughter
And sheng aiyi, who has an arrogant personality, is dismissive of this.
Once, Sheng Laowu called to invite her to a family banquet, Sheng Aiyi arrived and found that Song Ziwen was also present, it turned out that the Sheng family brothers specially arranged for the two to meet, she immediately turned to leave, Song Ziwen took the initiative to come forward to talk, advised her to stay for dinner, and Sheng Aiyi said coldly: "No! My husband is still waiting for me!" When he was done, he rolled up his sleeves and left.
After the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Sheng Yudu, the son of Sheng Laosi, was arrested and imprisoned, and the Sheng family could not release people throughout the relationship, and Sheng Yudu's wife Ye Yuanchan ran to Sheng Aiyi's family and begged her to entrust the relationship of The Chief Executive Song Ziwen to release people.
In desperation, Sheng Aiyi, who had planned not to talk to Song Ziwen for the rest of his life, had to dial the phone and said coldly: "I want to eat with my nephew at noon tomorrow." Song Ziwen on the other end of the phone was very excited, and he agreed, and sure enough, he released Sheng Yudu at noon the next day.
After 1949, Song Ziwen lived in New York with his wife and daughter, focusing on the care of a family with three daughters and nine grandchildren.
In his later years, Song Ziwen and his wife and daughter
Sheng Aiyi stayed in Shanghai, during the Cultural Revolution, her husband and son were hit, once lived in the car room on Wuyuan Road, the door was a septic tank, the poor and miserable life also failed to change her quiet expression, when accepting life, she still gracefully raised flowers, smoked, and practiced words.
Song Ziwen heard about her situation overseas and asked Song Qingling to send someone to Shanghai to visit and take care of her.
Sheng Aiyi is a real lady, although this dignified temperament makes it impossible for her to show the deep affection in her heart and misses the true love she longs for, but it also allows her to live in peace in adversity and take care of a pair of children as adults.
This kind of demure and indisputable manners has not changed until death.
She and Song Ziwen are attracted to each other because of this difference between Chinese and Western cultures, new and old cultures, and they also do not understand each other because of this difference, and eventually become passers-by.